The Financial Survival Network is dedicated to helping you build your financial fortress so that you can survive and thrive in the new economy. It's all about what's next!

Success in the music, sports, and entertainment industries is frequently marked by an increase in personal financial resources. The material enhancements often occur to such a heightened degree and in such a rapid manner that the celebrated beneficiaries are left unprepared to effectively deal with their circumstances without the assistance of professional guidance.

Many well-known celebrities have found themselves in financial ruin, despite having had huge amounts of money placed within their hands.

Actor Nicolas Cage, boxer Mike Tyson, rapper MC Hammer, actress Kim Basinger, and singer Willie Nelson are a few examples of some of the famed individuals who unfortunately ended up with their balance sheets in negative territory.

The Chair of the Federal Reserve is again hinting interest rates might go up before the year is out although predictions from the experts to that effect have been wrong again and again.

"I stand by my prediction that the Fed will not raise interest rates through 2015", says personal finance expert and the Nation' 'Money Answers Man' Jordon Goodman. "There is still a lot of uncertainty here - and abroad - and for that reason I don't believe it will be wise to raise rates this year".

A bump up in interest rates - when it comes - could spook investors who have gotten used to historically low rates since the 'Great Recession'.

"The Fed has been in a bind of late as it sees economic growth and low inflation but not enough impetus to raise interest rates even though a hike would signal a continuing economic recovery in the US", says Goodman.

According to Gordon T. Long, Greece and Puerto Rico's collapses have one very important factor in common, bloated overly generous public pensions. No one wants to give them up or seem them reformed and the price could be widespread civil unrest. Greece has defaulted and Puerto Rico is talking seriously about it. What's the next stage in the global debt crisis? Gordon has some important ideas about it.

John recounts how the Greek Tragedy has finally come to an end. Would you believe that John's website DollarCollapse.com is 10 years old? When he started it, he figured that the monetary unravelling would take just one year at most. When FSN started in 2011, we figured it would be at most 6 months. He we are four years later and there could be years to go. And now China and Puerto Rico and how many other countries must fail?

Mortgage rates are going up. Could this be spurring sales? Buyers could be buying now to avoid higher rates, it's happened before. But the rest of the economy doesn't look so great does it? Hiring and wages are trending higher, but can you believe the numbers? Perhaps it's time to go back to bartender school, but they're automating bartenders and truckdrivers out of business. So what's no-skilled/low-skilled worker to do? And what's with that Chinese goldminer buying shares around the globe?

Athens is coming closer to running out of cash by the day, and a default is looming on the horizon. Other EU countries appear to be trying to help Greece, but no one really wants to get their hands dirty.

Greece’s spiraling downfall should be a wake-up call for other countries facing a debt crisis, starting with the United States. We watched our government bailout big banks and major corporations such as General Motors during and after the 2008 crisis. Is Greece the next one up for help? Is there a plan in place?

Mark Everson is running for President of the United States. He believes that Americans deserve constructive solutions to the challenges facing our country.

When did you last believe the country was on the right track? Politicians continue to lie and get away with untruthful explanations. Each party offers painless solutions which protect special interests and reward millionaire lobbyists.

What if we undertake bold tax reform and free the vast majority of Americans from the burden of filing a tax return with the IRS? Wouldn’t that be better than the mess we have now and also grow our economy in the process?

Keith Neumeyer has created two billion dollar mining companies, First Quantum and First Majestic. Now in the depths of the mining depression he's looking to start another, First Mining Finance. Keith believes that the sector has to recover at some point because of the growth picture in other parts of the world. Presently there's no shortage of opportunities and the key is sticking to the discipline and making sound investments in good jurisdictions with good ore quality. Then it's just a matter of sitting back and waiting and letting the market prove Keith right yet again.

According to independent analyst Steve Rocco gold and silver mining is all about the return on energy invested. And he's got the charts to back it up. That's why in the long run the US and the world economies are headed for low growth and the precious metals can't help but go up. Ore grades and the difficulties involved with extraction as well as energy prices are headed up and so is demand, which means higher prices. Most producers are currently selling at a loss, so what other outcome can there be?

Kip is an entrepreneur's entrepreneur. Throughout his lengthy career he's suffered a number of bouts of entrepreneur burnout. The best way to avoid is to plan for it in advance. Understand that it's inevitable and then if you plan for it, you can avoid it. Plan those trips and family getaways and you'll never suffer the effects for too long. Most important keep finding new challenges and you'll never get too burned out.

The Regulatory Explosion has gone into hyperdrive. If the US Regulatory System was a country it would be the 10th largest economy. Regulatory democracy has changed the relationship between the people and the government. Regulations have the effect of law but are not passed by legislative bodies and there's no accountability. Obamacare is typical of the regulatory state where we only find out what's in until after it's been passed. What's the solution? Perhaps it's as Charles Murray suggests, we need the people to rise up get very wealthy underwrite civil disobedience.

Spreadbury told Telegraph Money “Systemic risk is in the system and as an investor you have to be aware of that.”

He believes that the record debt that has been ballooning since the crisis of ’08 due to interest rates being forced down to near zero by central banks. This debt, particularly where mortgages are concerned, would likely become unsustainable if, and when, rates rise to realistic levels.

“We have rock-bottom rates and QE is still going on – this is all experimental policy and means we are in uncharted territory.”

Donald Trump is really running for President, Rachel Dolezal-a white woman running the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, you know that things are completely out of control. The insanity has set in and there's no turning back now. Joe Messinia of TheRealSide.com joined for a look at the absurdity. And we're all losing perspective as Western Civilization continues its disintegration.

Marin Katusa now has his own website KatusaResearch.com where he shares his thoughts and research about the resource sector. Marin has been extremely successful investor. We discussed where we are in the cycle and what an investor needs to do to pick the winners in this depressed sector. The last time Marin and I spoke, he called the coming downturn. He thinks it's going to continue for a while but there's hope. As long as able managers such as Keith Neumeyer stick around, there's potential for large gains ahead.

Dogs don't sweat, they pant. Governor Romney put his dog on top of his car to cool it off. The economy must be improving if Trump is willing to make the financial disclosures required to run for president. Trump's idea of buying 2200 miles of the Great Wall of China and bring to the Southern Border is a stunning idea. And Trump is helping the economy by buying American hair pieces.

Jason K. Roberts is still bullish on the Florida Real Estate Market. Among the major reasons is that the market is not reliant on the job market. Many of the FL home buyers are retireees and therefore not looking for employment. Therefore, the buying season doesn't revolve around the school year like other states. Jason also talks about why many people fail in real estate investing. The reasons may surprise you.

No one can say it’s a boring primary season for the 2016 presidential election. With Jeb entering the race this week, and Trump probably entering with a $9 Billion net worth, will we see one of the most exciting and unusual nominating processes in history? Will it be the most expensive too?

Michelle Seiler-Tucker believes that Donald Trump possesses many of the qualities necessary to help bring the country back from the serious decline that it's been experiencing for the past decade. His skills as a leader and master negotiator are sorely needed. But is he for real? We won't know the answer to that question until the election season unwinds a bit further, but one thing for certain, it's going to be much more interesting.

Carol Margolis, a well-traveled consultant, businesswoman and international speaker who has collected countless pearls of travel wisdom over many years. She is sharing her pearls of wisdom learned over many millions of miles to create such a support system for fellow traveling public to help them discover the joy that travel can bring. I credit Carol with cluing me into the Global Entry Program which has saved me dozens of hours waiting on the TSA line at the airport. Carol knows how to travel effortlessly and with the highest degree of comfort and she shows you how to do the same. She's one savvy traveler.

No matter what country you're in, when a debt mania takes place, all reason heads for the exit. We've seen it in the US, Canada, China and countless other places. We're now headed for the end game, witness Greece. Perhaps this means that a refocusing on true value is coming soon. Those investments and technologies that truly improve life will become the focal point of the next boom, rather than just frivolous consumerism. Let's hope that we've learned something from the past booms and busts.

Jerry Perelman has been a pilot for four decades. He got his license at age 20. He's as passionate today as he was then. Today he has a network of private aircraft that can fly you anyplace in the world on many different types of aircraft. Safety always comes first and Jerry only works with aircraft owners who have regular crews in place. If you're going somewhere and want to splurge, give Jerry a call.

Dr. George wrote, "The recent New York Times opinion piece penned by Paul Krugman exemplifies what the problem is with political discourse in our country. Under the guise of pointing out the effects of a polarized political environment that uses intellectual dishonesty by those who disagree with their point of view. He exposes himself to be like the very same people that he mocks and belittles.

The “policy success” of ObamCare that he paints flies in the face of reality, and anyone who is not a practicing physician cannot truly understand how policy affects the practice of medicine and the delivery of healthcare. Patients are finding out what practicing physicians have known all along – that having health insurance does not equal access to quality healthcare. From the beginning the proponents of The Affordable Care Act used the argument that having health insurance equaled access to healthcare. However, the existence of The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) passed by Congress in 1986 guaranteed that anyone who needed emergency medical care whether they were a US citizen or not would receive it despite their ability to pay."

John writes that "Gold bugs around the world got a shock a few weeks ago when a tiny Canadian start-up called BitGold bought venerable GoldMoney, the second biggest (after BullionVault) precious metals storage firm.

Now come the questions. Is this a case of a flashy tech company using its temporarily-inflated stock to buy real assets, a kind of AOL/Time Warner deal which goes sour when the new tech turns out to be a bubble? Or are these the young visionaries who finally solve the puzzle that eluded their elders?

First, a little digression: Back in the late 1990s while writing mostly about the excesses of the dot-com bubble, I was looking for a more optimistic theme. After interviewing GoldMoney’s James Turk for a couple of magazine articles, I fixated on his and others’ attempts to use the Internet to turn gold back into a functioning currency. This was a libertarian fantasy made real, allowing people to keep their spare cash in sound money while bypassing the increasingly dysfunctional, predatory banks with their hidden fees and stupid rules."